The Quinnipiac Chronicle, Volume 89, Issue 18

FEBRUARY 20, 2019 • VOLUME 89 • ISSUE 18

The official student newspaper of Quinnipiac University since 1929

OPINION: MLB FREE AGENCY P. 6

SPORTS: WIH SENIOR DAY P. 14

ARTS & LIFE: LAURIE GRACE P. 8

The ultimate gift

Double-lung recipient builds new student organization dedicated to organ donation awareness

Body discovered along trail in Cheshire

By EMILY DISALVO Associate News Editor

Three years ago, an organ donation saved Nicole Antaya’s life.

Now, she’s started an organization at Quinnipiac committed to saving more.

“If you look at the ultimate gift of compassion and love and life and caring, that’s organ donation,” Antaya, a senior psychology major said.

Antaya, who has cystic fibrosis, received a double lung transplant in August 2015 when she was 20 years old. She is now the president of a new Quinnipiac organization called Student Organ Donation Advocates (SODA).

Antaya said her main goal in bringing SODA, a nationwide organization, to Quinnipiac is to spread the truth about organ donations.

“The point of SODA, which I am so passionate about it, is to provide educational resources to the Quinnipiac community in order to shed light on the many myths and stigmas that surround organ donation,” Antaya said.

Antaya said the reason many people decide not to become organ donors is because of misconceptions.

“The most common myth out there is that if you’re sick or if you get in an accident, that the medical team will not care about your health

ALEXIS GUERRA / CHRONICLE

By CHRISTINA POPIK Editor-in-Chief

Nicole Antaya brought SODA to Quinnipiac in January 2019. and they will just take your organs,” Antaya said.

“That is completely false. The transplant team only comes when there is pronounced brain

EMILY DISALVO / CHRONICLE

death which has to be done through a series of See SODA Page 4

The Cheshire Police Department launched an investigation early on Feb. 19 after a body was found along the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail, according to a Cheshire PD press release.

The investigation was initiated between School House Road and West Johnson Avenue after receiving a complaint of “suspicious items” in the area, later discovered to be an “untimely death.” The State Police Major Crimes Division was called in to assist in the investigation after the Cheshire Police Detective Bureau did a preliminary investigation, according to the press release.

No further information has been released at this time and the trail will be closed to the public while the investigation is ongoing, according to the press release. The area under investigation is about 9.5 miles from the Mount Carmel campus.

Giving back to Bobcats

Alumni Association promotes crowdfunding page

By JENNIE TORRES Associate News Editor

was a part of one of the pilots when she was raising money for the student radio station, WQAQ. “I think it was last winter. I did it through the alumni office and basically my goal was, be-

Staff Meetings on Tuesdays at 9:15 p.m. in SB123

cause I’m a general manager at WQAQ, we were looking to raise money to buy new music for our automation system,” Spagnuolo said. “Our goal was $2,000, and the alumni office really helped

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us out because they blasted out our crowdfunding page to all of our alumni and we ended up See CROWDFUNDING Page 4

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Our award-winning website since 2009

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The Quinnipiac Alumni website displays past crowdfunding projects and their monetary successes.

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Alumni have a new way to give back to their academic community through crowdfunding, thanks to the Quinnipiac Development and Alumni Affairs.

Sarah DeWolf, assistant director of annual giving, said that the reason behind creating her position was because the department wanted to begin crowdfunding.

“What that means is working with our internal community to really see what their funding goals are and what their funding needs are and see how our department and our resources could enhance their experiences,” DeWolf said. “I’ve been tasked with overseeing it within the application process all the way through to training our faculty and students on how to be most effective when fundraising.”

This is the first time that the alumni department is attempting a crowdfunding process, according to DeWolf, although the process was tested beforehand with a few ‘pilot’ projects just to ensure that it would be successful.

These pilot projects can still be found on the official alumni website under the crowdfunding section to serve as examples of what type of projects students, faculty or staff can create for themselves.

Senior journalism major Emma Spagnuolo

Interactive: 5 Opinion: 6 Arts and Life: 8 Sports: 12

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students speak up

MEET THE EDITORS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Christina Popik

February 20, 2019

Q: Who do you think will headline this year’s Wake the Giant concert?

MANAGING EDITOR

2017

Amanda Perelli

2018

2019

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Madison Fraitag

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WEB DIRECTOR Logan Reardon ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITORS & Jennie Torres

CHRONICLE FILE PHOTO

OPINION EDITOR

Alexis Guerra

Jane

Peter Dewey ARTS & LIFE EDITOR

khalid

Tiesto

Emily DiSalvo

b le o N Mc

ASSOCIATE ARTS & LIFE

MORGAN TENCZA/CHRONICLE

YEAR Junior MAJOR Health science A: “I know we can’t have too popular of a person, but I think it should be

someone kind of relevant. Or maybe a new rising artist or someone that has one popular song because I know a popular person will be too out of our range.”

EDITOR Jessica Simms SPORTS EDITOR

OA

Jared Penna

GABBY FIGU

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YEAR Freshman MAJOR Biology

Bryan Murphy ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITORS

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MADISON FRAITAG

A: ”I would say Post Malone because a lot of people like him and I really think that it would draw a good crowd.”

& Brendan O’Sullivan DESIGN EDITOR

PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Morgan Tencza

Ga b y

Janna Marnell

nzio u n D’A

YEAR Junior MAJOR English A: “[I want it to be] The Spice Girls. I know that would never happen.

Someone like Hayley Kiyoko would be really good. I love her.”

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THE QUINNIPIAC CHRONICLE is the proud recipient of the New England Society of Newspaper Editors’ award for College Newspaper of the Year in New England for 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2015-16.

A: ”It would be really cool to have Panic! at the Disco. I don’t know if it’s realistic. I am not sure if they have the ability to do that.”

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YEAR Sophomore MAJOR Occupational therapy A: “I heard from confidential sources that it was a rap genre so I

think it will be Juice Wrld. I wouldn’t hate it. Rap isn’t my favorite but I would still go.”

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YEAR Freshman MAJOR Computer science A: ”I would have to go with my boy Corey Reiman & the CRB. They come to Toad’s every once in a while – and he’s my friend.”

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February 20, 2019

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News |3

Spilling the beans

Speaker with controversial background gives talk on coffee industry

By GARRET REICH Copy Editor

Mokhtar Alkhanshali spilled the beans on the history of the coffee industry on Monday, Feb. 18 on-campus, but failed to tell the whole story of his business.

Alkhanshali is the owner and founder of Port of Mokha, which aims to produce a brand of specialized coffee that supports the farmers that grow it. However, the background behind his company is a little more difficult to swallow.

While not mentioned in his presentation, Alkhanshali was called to a jury trial for alleged embezzlement charges by the United States District Court, Northern District of California in May of 2018.

“Beginning as early as April 2014,” the court case on Eater San Francisco’s website states, “Mokhtar devised a scheme to defraud Mocha Mill and his business partners by, willfully and with the intent to defraud, embezzling cash from company accounts under the guise of necessary and legitimate company expenses.”

Mocha Mill is a secondary company that Alkhanshali founded in Yemen. In his time traveling back and forth to Yemen, he was funded by the profits of the Mocha Mill for conferences and consulting through the Boot Coffee team. However, in April of 2016, Alkhanshali resigned from his position as CEO in April of 2016, according to Daily Coffee News.

“Mokhtar went back to Yemen on behalf of Mocha Mill in October 2014 for about ten months, taking with him the lessons he had

GARRET REICH / CHRONICLE

Mokhar Alkhanshali spoke to the Quinnipiac community Feb. 18 on his company, Mokha Coffee. learned from Boot and Ethiopian farmers to ground his presentation in his unwavering refine and import the promising Yemeni cof- passion rather than his unsavory past. fee varieties Boot had identified,” the court “I was a kid who had an idea and wanted case states. to pursue that idea,” he said. “Our ideas The Mocha Mill also “paid tens of thou- should start with “‘trying to find out what sands of dollars for the trip.” our why is’.”

It is unknown whether the case is closed.

During his presentation, Alkhanshali adOn Monday, Alkhanshali chose to dressed many issues within the coffee business.

Many farmers that grow their products for trade, work hard for very little pay, explained Alkhanshali.

Alkhanshali believes in “direct trade,” which is when coffee roasters purchase their product straight from the producer in order to remove middle men.

In the next part of the presentation, Alkhanshali delved into the vast history of the coffee industry.

“There is always a debate between two countries that want to hold claim to be the first country where coffee began,” Alkhanshali said “Yemen is one and Ethiopia.”

However, the first Ethiopian coffee consumers wouldn’t drink their coffee.

“They would chew the coffee cherries with animal fats,” he said.

He went on to joke that coffee is indeed a fruit, in its origins.

Over the years, Alkhanshali has traveled to Yemen to work alongside the farmers and show them how to harvest the ripest coffee seeds.

“I fell in love with the possibility of what coffee can do for us,” he said.

A nonfiction book by Dave Eggers’, “Monk of Mokha,” followed Alkhanshali’s journey through Yemen and his business, Port of Mokha. When he took a precarious trip from Yemen to the United States by boat, he was also featured on the Guardian, NPR and ABC. Despite last year’s charges, Alkhanshali concluded his speech by encouraging his audience to find the why behind their goals.

“If you find something you love doing, you never work a day in your life,” he quoted.

Want your playlist to rock the airwaves of QU? Join WQAQ 98.1 FM

The Soundtrack of Quinnipiac General Staff meetings are held biweekly on Wednesdays at 4 p.m. in SC 120

For more information on how to get involved, log on to Do You QU or email Emma.Spagnuolo@qu.edu

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FEATURED EVENTS WANT YOUR EVENT TO BE CONSIDERED FOR PUBLICATION IN THE CHRONICLE? Email tips@quchronicle.com

Wednesday, Feb. 20 Chick-fil-A fundraiser Alpha Chi Omega and Zeta Beta Tau will co-host a Chick-fil-A fundraiser on Wednesday, Feb. 20 from 8 to 11 p.m. in the Mount Carmel cafe. All proceeds from the event will benefit QTHON.

Thursday, Feb. 21 Black History Month forum Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity, Inc. will host a Black History Month forum on Thursday, Feb. 21 from 8 to 9:30 p.m. in Echlin room 101. The event will educate students about Black History Month and will feature an open discussion. Free food will be provided.

Montage open mic Montage Literary & Art Magazine will host its open mic, part of a semester-long series, on Thursday, Feb. 21 from 9:15 to 11:15 p.m. in the Carl Hansen Student Center room 119. Students can come share their creative talents in front of their peers.

Free food will be provided.

Friday, Feb. 22 ISA bake sale The International Student Association (ISA) will host a bake sale on Friday, Feb. 22 from 2 to 6 p.m. in the Carl Hansen Student Center. Proceeds from the event will go toward benefitting future ISA events aimed to increase intercultural spirit at Quinnipiac.

Shamrock the Rope sign-ups Kappa Delta will host sign- ups for its annual philanthropy event, Shamrock the Rope, on Friday, Feb. 22 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Carl Hansen Student Center.

Shamrock the Rope benefits Prevent Child Abuse America, and will take place on Sunday, Feb. 24.

Monday, Feb. 25 Organ donation info tabling Student Organ Donation Advocates will host a tabling session to educate students about their mission and about the process of organ donation on Monday, Feb. 25 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Carl Hansen Student Center. There will be flyers available for students who are interested in learning more about the organ donation process.

Tuesday, Feb. 26 Coffee House The Black Student Union will host its Coffee House event on Tuesday, Feb. 26 from 9:30 to 10:30 p.m. in the Carl Hansen Student Center room 119. Students can have a safe and open place to express themselves through various art forms.

The Quinnipiac Chronicle

February 20, 2019

Antaya: ‘It just should be another safe space’ SODA from cover rigorous statistical tests. It’s not a guess.”

One person in particular that has fallen victim to an “organ donation myth” is the vice president of SODA, Samantha Stoica.

“I met Nicole through our sorority Alpha Delta Pi,” Stoica said. “How can you not be inspired by a story like that? I just wanted to kind of help with the club and get things started.”

Stoica, a senior health science major, is not an organ donor and never has been. She said it was something she was not educated about growing up and the negative stigma discouraged her from adding her name to the donor list. Nonetheless, she says she feels at home at SODA meetings.

“This was something I signed up for because I wanted to educate myself and anyone is welcome,” Stoica said.

The organization, which was formally founded at the end of January 2019, has five executive board members and about 10 general board members, but both Stoica and Antaya hope it will continue to grow. The inclusivity of the club reflects the non-discriminatory nature of organ donors.

“Rich, poor, tall, short, black, white, Asian, anything does not matter,” Antaya said. “It does not matter your socioeconomic status, it does not matter your religion, background. Nothing.

It is all about awareness. It is not about what you have but what you can give. Not in a monetary perspective but in terms of self-love, ultimate sacrifice.”

Both students pointed out the “family” nature of the organ-donor community and said that SODA is a great club for anyone looking to find a “niche.”

“I truly believe [through] organ donation, you are part of a family,” Antaya said. “I really want to reiterate that same energy and that same vibe here on campus. If people, they’re trying to find their niche or they want to have a new friend, come to SODA. We are totally open and we are there for you. It just should be another safe space.”

Stoica said that being a part of the SODA family has inspired her to consider becoming a registered organ donor.

“I think the club has really opened my mind to how many people you can impact, whether it’s receiving or donating,” Stoica said.

Antaya received her lungs from a 17-yearold boy named Jordan who died in a car accident.

Antaya said Jordan’s body had the potential to save others’ lives too.

“When the individual has died, their gift that they can pass on, they have the ability to save a life,” Antaya said. “One organ donor can save up to eight lives.”

According to Antaya, 22 people on the transplant list die every day. Antaya has now devoted her second chance at life to decreasing that number.

“Because of my donor, I’m able to not only attend college without wearing an oxygen concentrator on my back,” Antaya said. “I’m in charge of a new club– that I started.”

Prior to the transplant, Antaya’s illness ruled her life.

“I can tell you before my transplant I had no quality of life,” Antaya said. “I was at 10 liters of oxygen at rest, I would do six hours of rigorous airway treatments a day coughing up blood and other stuff that is disgusting. I couldn’t do anything. I had to be taken out of high school and then taken out of college because I was too sick to do any of that so I did all of my coursework online at home.”

Reanne Bryceland, SODA’s event coordinator, joined the club because she has seen first-hand the life-changing possibility of an organ donation.

“My aunt’s sister recently received a lung transplant, and it saved her life,” Bryceland, a sophomore nursing major, said.

“I hope we can spread the message of how important organ donation is throughout our Quinnipiac community.”

Organ donation also touched the life of the club’s advisor, Greg Eichhorn, the vice president for admissions and financial aid at Quinnipiac. After hearing Antaya’s story, he

was impressed and wanted to help the organization flourish at Quinnipiac.

“Organ donor awareness and organ transplantation are meaningful topics to my family as having been impacted by both organ donation and organ transplants,” Eichhorn said in an email. “It was an easy decision to become involved and try to help bring awareness to the important topic of being an organ donor. I hope that many others will consider being an organ donor and getting involved.”

Going forward, the club hopes to establish at least 25 new registered members on their website, which is directly connected to Donate Life, a national nonprofit dedicated to advocating for organ donations.

The club meets on Tuesday nights at 9:15 p.m. in the Rocky Top Student Center Room 401 and all are welcome to attend.

“We have the potential to save a lot of lives and I think that’s definitely something to get excited about,” Bryceland said.

Antaya credits the double-lung transplant with saving her life and giving her a future.

“A complete stranger decided, I want to give the gift of life today and that’s why I’m here,” Antaya said. “I believe it is not only my duty but my privilege to spread and continue to spread that message across not just Quinnipiac campuses but other campuses and to get other college campuses starting this conversation.”

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Student Organ Donation Advocates– Quinnipaic University GRAPHIC BY JANNA MARNELL

Spagnuolo: ‘I have no complaints about the whole process’ CROWDFUNDING from cover surpassing our goal. We raised [over] $2,300.”

Spagnuolo’s crowdfunding project is still visible online titled “Help Save the Soundtrack of WQAQ.” She said that the project began after expressing interesting in raising money for the radio station to former student media advisor, Lila Carney. “[Carney] put me in contact with the alumni office and then they reached out to me. I worked with that office primarily and we got it together, but that’s not to say that my staff didn’t help,” Spagnuolo said. “We had students put together a crowdfunding video. Some of the WQAQ members helped as well but primarily it was me and Sarah DeWolf that was in constant communication throughout the entire process.”

Spagnuolo said that the crowdfunding process was very easy and helpful, since DeWolf and her were often working together throughout it all.

“I worked primarily with DeWolf from that office and she was wonderful. We met once a week I think, and we were just in constant communication,” Spagnuolo said. “I provided her with information to send out to our alumni. She helped me with writing everything and creating it. They were just a huge help, I have no complaints about the whole process.”

Jason Burke, director of veteran and military affairs was also a part of a crowdfunding project called “Help Student Veterans Become Members of American Legion” in 2018 in order to help connect student veterans with their local community.

“There are veteran entities in the local area, and nationwide too. One of them is the American Legion, which is a national nonprofit that advocates for veterans and any veteran can join. There happens to be one in Connecticut off of Dixwell Avenue,” Burke said. “We have 180 student veterans, undergrad and grad, and they don’t live on campus. They live in apartments or homes that they either purchased or rent. So this was a way of linking these veterans in an extracurricular way with our community.”

Burke said that he worked with the membership of student veterans as they too got assistance

PHOTO COURTESY OF LIZ FLYNN

WQAQ is among the university groups that have benefitted from the crowdfunding initiative. from DeWolf to raise money. The project managed to raise $1,232, getting enough funds for 31 American Legion memberships.

“What the American Legion has is it has areas for meetings, so our student veterans’ organization has held meetings there,” Burke said. “[The student veterans] could go in and get a beer if they want, hang out and have a meeting and do those things, and link with the veterans who are in the community that aren’t students here. It’s good anywhere in the country. They could go anywhere in the country that has one.”

Everyone who is involved in a crowdfunding project will be provided with the resources to create their own fundraising website, review it, and then use it to reach out to family, friends, professors and the alumni community, according to DeWolf.

Senior psychology major Shaylah Zorn sees the university getting involved with crowdfunding as a positive addition to the academic community.

“I think it’s a great idea. It allows the community to bring more issues that they’ve noticed and it gives them a platform to do something about it,” Zorn said. “They may have not been able to do that before this platform was available to them.”

The projects are currently in the application process and anyone can apply by filling out

the crowdfunding application form under the crowdfunding section of the official Quinnipiac alumni website. “[The application process] began at the beginning of February,” DeWolf said. “Because this is the first time we’re really implementing this specific process, we’re going to be extending it outward into the first week of March. So I believe March 8 is the date that we decided on.”

The applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so applicants will find out if they’ve been accepted as soon as possible. From there on, DeWolf works one-on-one with the approved projects and whoever is involved in them.

DeWolf said that there will be at least one email in the future to inform the community that anyone can start a crowdfunding project as long as they apply early, including students, faculty and staff. DeWolf is hoping that by the second week of March, she can start sitting down with project owners and making game plans.

DeWolf is open to speaking with anyone who has any questions or concerns regarding crowdfunding.

“There’s no question that is too small for me to answer. There’s no person on campus that needs to feel their need is not a big enough deal to talk about,” DeWolf said. “So feel free, we want to have that line of communication with our community.”

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Fixing a broken system

How MLB can avoid future free agency nightmares Bryce Harper and Manny Machado.

As a diehard baseball fan, those are the two names I have constantly had to see in articles and on TV this winter.

Harper and Machado are generally regarded as the top Staff Writer two free agents available this offseason. Yet here we are, just days from Spring Training games beginning, and Harper remains unsigned, with Machado just signing with the San Diego Padres on Tuesday.

And that’s only part of the problem. Over 100 free agents still linger on the market – including star players such as starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel and closer Craig Kimbrel.

So why are all these talented players currently unemployed?

Are players and their agents asking for too much? Are team owners too hesitant to pony up the necessary money to sign these guys?

It’s both.

Currently, Major League Baseball players must play six seasons with their original team (barring a trade to another team or being released) in order to reach free agency, the point at which they can sign with any team they please. However, by the time many players accrue enough service time to reach this mark, they are at, near or have passed the age of 30.

So why is being at or over 30 a bad thing?

In recent years, many teams have opted not to sign players over the age of 30 to long-term contracts. This is due to a simple concept – athletes naturally tend to decline with age. So from an ownership standpoint, why would you want to sign a player who may be declining to a long-term, expensive contract?

Many long-term contracts have proven to be disastrous in the past. Players such as Albert Pujols (10 years, $240 million with the Los Angeles Angels) and Prince Fielder (Nine years, $214 million with the Detroit Tigers) experienced a significant decline in performance following their signings.

Pujols, who at the time of his signing with the Angels was arguably the best player in the sport, compiled a .328 batting average to go along with 445 home runs and 1329 runs batted in (RBI)

Jeremy Troetti

over his first 11 seasons as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, according to Baseball-Reference.com. Following his move to the Angels, Pujols has hit .260 with 188 home runs and 653 RBIs in seven seasons – all while battling various injuries.

Fielder, who hit .282 with 230 home runs and 656 RBIs in his first seven years with the Milwaukee Brewers, hit .283 with just 89 home runs and 372 RBIs in last his five seasons (split between the Tigers and Texas Rangers) – a far cry from the player he was in Milwaukee. Fielder was forced into retirement at the age of 32 due to a serious neck injury.

I understand injuries happen. There’s nothing teams can do to control whether players get hurt or not. But looking at cases such as Pujols and Fielder can help explain why teams may be so reluctant to hand any free agent a long-term contract.

It was not only contracts such as Pujols’ and Fielder’s that have had an impact on today’s stagnant free agent market. To pick a single deal that I believe has contributed to the lack of free agent signings in the current market, we need look no further than the 13-year, $325 million mega-deal extension signed by then-Miami Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton in 2014. While Stanton never reached the free agent market, his contract has set a bar for free agent stars.

The traditionally financially restricted Miami Marlins quickly came to regret the Stanton contract, and he was traded to the New York Yankees in December of 2017.

So how does Stanton’s deal impact this year’s free agent class?

To start on the team ownership side, contracts like the ones signed by Stanton, Pujols and Fielder, among countless others, have proven to become a financial burden on a team’s roster. So with Harper and Machado reportedly looking for long-term contracts in excess of $300 million, according to an article published by Bleacher Report that references The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, why would any team be willing to take such a risk, even if both are just 26 years old – seemingly far off from any decline they may experience?

To put it simply, baseball has proven time and again that there’s no such thing as a sure thing. In reality, any time any player steps on the field, he could get hurt. One bad injury could ruin a whole career. And from a business standpoint, one injury could lead to financial strain on a team’s roster if that player is earning in excess of $30 million per season over several years.

From the player side, both Machado and Harper can reason-

ably make a case that they should receive contracts similar to the one Stanton got. Machado’s deal with San Diego (10 years $300 million) is the richest free-agent contract in all of professional sports according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.

Over the course of 162 games, a full MLB regular season, Stanton has averaged .268 with 43 home runs and 109 RBIs, according to Baseball-Reference.com. Harper, meanwhile, has averaged .279 with 32 home runs and 91 RBIs. Machado – .282, with 31 home runs and 90 RBIs. Yes, Stanton has put up more impressive home run totals, but by and large, both Harper and Machado have put up comparable statistics to Stanton.

In the field, Stanton has averaged a .981 fielding percentage, while Harper (.983) and Machado (.970) have also put up similarly superb numbers.

So if you’re Harper and Machado, or their respective agents, why would you not ask for a contract similar to Stanton’s if you’ve proven you are able to match his production level?

As referenced above, here’s the issue: players are asking for too much and owners aren’t willing to give it to them.

Here’s how this can be fixed.

I believe that MLB should reduce the number of years required to reach free agency from six seasons to four, similar to the National Football League. This would cause players to reach the market at younger ages, which in turn could enable more teams to be interested in signing them.

In terms of contract length, I believe if MLB limits the maximum length of any contract to five seasons, more teams would also be willing to sign free agents. On the other hand, free agents seeking long-term security can be guaranteed a salary for five years from a team that would like to sign them for that amount of time.

By reducing the requirements to reach free agency, along with limiting the length of contracts, it would be a win-win for players and teams.

Baseball fans can simply take a look at the names left lingering in free agency, beyond just Harper and Machado, and see that there are too many talented players who do not have baseball homes despite the season being right around the corner. The current free agency system clearly is not working, and needs to be fixed. A compromise between players and teams could be just what solves the problem.

Assessing the 2020 Democrats I should put a massive disclaimer in front of this article that I am in no way, shape or form endorsing any of the people I talk about here. I supported the President in 2016, and intend on doing so again in 2020 barring some major change.

That being said, if Staff Writer Democrats are interested in toppling Trump in 2020, there are definitely some choices toward that end that are better than others.

The dilemma facing Democratic voters is how to run against Trump. There are two options that are being debated. This first is to run a moderate, middle of the road candidate that is able to win the voters that switched from Obama 2012 to Trump 2016.

This would be somebody like former Vice President Joe Biden, or former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Looking at the polls in this early stage, for whatever it may be worth at this point, shows them consistently leading Trump by a fair margin. I think if you are desperate to remove Trump from office and nothing else, those two would be your best bet.

The problem, though, is that those moderate, middle of the road candidates are going to get slaughtered in the Democratic primary. Bloomberg, a former Republican who used “tough on crime” policing policies such as stop-and-frisk as NYC mayor, among others, is simply not going to survive a Democratic primary, according to CNN. That he, as reported by CNN in January, is still defending those policies simply makes it worse for him.

His views on guns and climate change are in line with the Democratic base, but which of the candidates running can that not be said about?

Stephan Kaputska

It doesn’t matter how many billions he might be willing to dump into the race to try and sell himself, I don’t think Democrats are interested in buying.

As for Biden, he will have to contend with his record in the Senate, including his votes for stricter drug sentencing laws and his overseeing of the Anita Hill hearings. He at least benefits from the glow of the Obama years, having been Obama’s VP, but once he gets on the debate stage with the other candidates that will likely fade.

The problem for Democrats is the candidates who are most likely to beat Trump are the same candidates that will never get through a Democratic primary. One cannot imagine much enthusiasm in Democratic circles about old, white men with center-left policy records, certainly not in this political environment.

The second line of thinking is to push a candidate who is far to the left, in the hope that President Trump’s anemic approval ratings will allow them to win.

If you are a progressive, and you want one of your own in the White House, it does seem now would be your chance. The risk, of course, is the fact that may not happen.

You may very well see a repeat of what happened in the Florida gubernatorial race in 2018; Ron DeSantis, a Trump-like Republican, won out over progressive Andrew Gillum in what was otherwise a very good election for Democrats. And the individual candidates have problems of their own.

It’s almost impossible to score 100 percent on the “woke” scale, but if you’re running in this lane, that isn’t an excuse. California Senator Kamala Harris has to deal with her past record as a prosecutor. New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand had essentially the exact immigration program when she was a congresswoman from upstate New York as President Trump, not to mention she was a self-described “gun nut” with an “A” rating from the NRA. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren is dogged by her Native American DNA scandal. Former Texas Representative Beto

O’Rourke’s chief achievement is losing to Ted Cruz. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders supposedly had a problem with racial insensitivity in 2016, and we’ll almost certainly hear about that again.

Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard used to oppose gay marriage quite vocally, and in a recent statement apologized for it, according to Politico. I will say, in the defense of Gabbard, I find her foreign policy agenda interesting. Trump ran as a non-interventionist, but he hasn’t governed as one to the extent a lot of people hoped.

While I find her positions on a number of other issues disqualifying, I can’t knock somebody on the other side of the aisle for taking a stand against unneeded foreign wars and excessive interventionism.

If I were a Democrat, what I would be looking for is somebody who can most effectively fuse both the progressive and the centrist wings of the party. That’s why I think, should they choose to run, Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar would be the best candidates.

Both represent states that have trended toward Republicans, and both won re-election fairly easily in 2018 despite that, according to the Ohio and Minnesota state elections. In other words, they have an established record of being able to win the swing voters that gave Trump victory in 2016. And even so, they’ve established a decent amount of progressive bone-a-fides, including far more liberal stances on social issues than you would expect them to get away within their states. Brown, in particular, is the last statewide Democrat left in Ohio.

So, if I had a sake in this process, would vote for Sherrod Brown. I give him a slight edge over Klobuchar because he represents a state Donald Trump won by over eight points in 2016, whereas the president lost Klobuchar’s home state by 1.5 percent.

Both, however, are viable picks that could make it through the primaries and into the general.

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The Quinnipiac Chronicle

Opinion|7

Reporting on politics is a black hole Why journalists are intrigued and inspired by the political atmosphere Politics is a hundred vicious circles, neatly packaged into a black hole with a bow that strangles those who hope to make a difference in the world.

Once, that concept intrigued me. It excited me. It drew me in – as I have heard black holes do – and enticed me with Staff Writer conflict, controversy and friction. There is always something to write about if you’re a political journalist. In our society, there will always be another diplomatic skeleton in the closet to uncover.

But I am starting to see that these skeletons produce very few results in the long term. Political journalism is not impacting enough how people vote or how they interpret the facts. Instead of just shedding light on corruption and falsifications to change the standard, we are also adding fuel to a rapidly spreading fire.

The deceit thrives while the stories that need to be shared with the world die out amidst the flames.

For example, President Trump got an advertising platform he didn’t expect, and journalists around the world provided it to him for free. We spent our time showcasing to the American people why he should not have been an esteemed candidate for the 2016 presidential election. Yet, he was elected regardless.

As a community of journalists, we have to self-evaluate what the goal is when we are reporting. Is our intent solely to educate the nation on the turmoils of America politics? Or are we getting excited by the notion that it will elicit clicks from our audiences?

I can’t criticize. I understand why politics fascinate journalists

Garret Reich

and why we are inspired by it.

During the 2016 primaries, all of the presidential candidates came through my home state first. You name them, we had them in Iowa. I drove to see five of them: Ted Cruz, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Ben Carson and President Donald Trump.

I asked Sanders a question while he stood under a disco ball. I got into Cruz’s press conference and took pictures of him from two feet away while he was speaking to a veteran. I snuck in through a press door while hundreds of people waited outside for Clinton at a high-school. I listened to Carson talk for an hour about Ben Franklin and the forefathers of our country.

I was also at Trump’s rally when he said he “could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody” and not lose any voters.

Those words should have shook me to my core. Instead, I internalized the joy that I was a firsthand witness of the quote.

I grinned to myself thinking, “I caught him, I did it. I can be an actual journalist now..”

I was beyond exhilarated on the way home. I curled up in the backseat with my computer in hand, churning out an article as quickly as I could type. Until midnight after each of these rallies, my editor in Connecticut, for Youth Journalism International, sat up with me and edited so that we could push articles the next day.

These moments felt more real to me than the article I wrote on the Gulf of Mexico oil spill or my essays on a 2017 tax bill that allows drilling for oil in an Alaskan Wildlife Refuge. Yet, these are the issues that matter to me. These are the problems that get very little coverage but they will have the most significant effects on human life for generations to come.

When I tell people why I have striven to be a journalist since I was nine, I don’t tell them about following around presidential candidates. I tell them that I dream of being a foreign correspondent, that I want to tell the stories of people

that don’t have the platform or the voice to do so themselves.

I want to travel and write about countries like Venezuela that are genuinely enduring hardships.

Yet, I continue to be drawn into the black hole of politics. I, like many reporters, get excited by the contention of polarized groups. I crave the drama which never ceases to erupt.

Political journalism has had it’s high-points. Bob Woodward has been my idol since I read about his reporting on the Watergate scandal. David Broder, a former columnist at the Washington Post, analyzed several political campaigns and was considered one of the most respected journalists of his time. In 2016, David Fahrenthold at the Washington Post unearthed the details about Trump’s uncharitable charity.

Regardless of this, I think the focus of journalism has changed.

We are starting to morph into an industry fascinated by the President’s every move. I believe that, because of this, we have lost sight of the issues that lay at the forefront of our world.

International trade, unbalanced weaponry proportions by country, the future of agriculture, natural resources and the two billion people without an access point to debit accounts are only a few examples of these issues, according to the World Economic Forum. Personally, I know very little about these things because their headlines are not at the top of my news feed. Yet, these topics could all factor heavily into the next era.

I am not advocating for political journalists to give up their goal, which holds its weight in our modern world. I am not asking that we step aside. Political journalism plays a pivotal role in how the government runs and what conflicts citizens nationwide can get access to. I am only hoping that we, as a journalism community, re-evaluate what is truly impacting this generation and the many generations to come.

The changing Quinnipiac community Quinnipiac is acting like a steam train racing to crash. It is making big changes to the community that could prove more damaging than beneficial.

President Judy Olian recently made the announcement that Quinnipiac plans for the Irish Hunger Museum to run on ‘self-sufficiency’ by June 2020, according to a campus-wide email sent on Feb. 4. This is by no means a win for Staff Writer the museum, now in temporary affiliation with QU. Quinnipiac has had a good presence in the U.S. and the Hamden community for some time now. This is because of its contributions to the wider and local community, both Irish and non-Irish. That is why the community radio station WQUN, the Irish Hunger Museum and the St. Patrick’s Day parade sponsorship need to remain a part of QU. Joe Iasso, senior higher education leadership major, made a statement for a news article in The QU Chronicle on Jan. 30 about the Irish Hunger Museum: “I believe our relationship with our surrounding communities should be a much higher priority than our relationship with Ireland and Irish immigrants,” Iasso said.

“The Irish Hunger Museum has educated students from 50-60 different schools ranging from elementary to high school level in the entire New England area since its inception in 2012,” Ryan Mahoney, the executive director of the Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum, said when asked about the current statistics of the museum.

He continued, saying that they are “leading and teaching classes on some of the founding principles that are relevant with today’s culture ranging from immigration, xenophobia, government corruption and hunger.”

All of these are very current conversations in America and the world. Kids are being taught these lessons at the museum from as early as second grade.

It seems that future generations are being taught beautiful values that all people need.

“The museum has programs set up for kids and adults approximately once or twice a week,” Mahoney said. “This is in addition to conducting multiple community outreach programs every month”.

In a world where the nations that, in my opinion, we all previously looked up to are making increasing restrictions on immigration, such as the current BREXIT and Trump wall, it now

Alessandro Woodbridge

seems we are also building a wall between Quinnipiac and the wider community, or a whole new kind of QU version of BREXIT, perhaps a QUEXIT from the Hamden community.

Therefore, is important that we continue to incorporate the principles of the museum into students’ lives inside and outside Quinnipiac University.

The Irish connection is actually one of the biggest parts that promote the image of QU on an international level. As an international student myself from the U.K., I understand the necessities of establishing stronger international connections and education. Currently, there are strong connections to four different universities in Ireland. These being: Cork, Maynooth, Dublin and Galway.

Imagine the reaction of the Irish students from these Irish universities when they hear that we are no longer showing our Irish cultural connection with the disconnect with the Irish Hunger Museum in 2020 and Quinnipiac no longer participating in the parade. The Irish connection with Quinnipiac speaks volumes to our community, our university status and our pride in supporting major global issues that we are still facing today.

Quinnipiac President Emeritus, John Lahey, currently introduces the museum on their website, https://www.ighm. org/, as follows: “More clearly than many others, Murray [Lender] grasped the compelling nature of the Great Hunger story and the importance of educating people about its true causes and consequences,” he said according to the website. “Murray’s vision and the generous financial support of both Murray and his brother, Marvin, led to the creation of the Lender Family Special Collection Room, An Gorta Mór, in the Arnold Bernhard Library on our Mount Carmel Campus.”

Lahey also touches on the legacy of the museum.

“This initial collection of art, research and educational materials has been augmented during the past 20 years and now represents the world’s largest collection of Great Hunger-related art and educational resources,” Lahey said.

This shows that the Irish connection was a collaborative idea by both Lahey and Lender, the son of a Jewish immigrant from Poland, nearly 20 years ago. In an article published by RTE,Irish national television and broadcaster, in July 2018, his connection to Lahey and the plight of Irish people was explained.

“Mr. Lahey says Murray saw parallels between the struggles of the Irish and those faced by his own family, Jewish immigrants who fled Europe before the Holocaust... Marvin Lender said that he and his brother Murray could identify with the Irish famine story because of the Jewish people’s suffering during the Holocaust.”

This perhaps gives us a better understanding of Murray Lender’s connection to the Irish Hunger Museum. It could suggest that he felt it was important that the Quinnipiac and wider community understand the issues of xenophobia, government

corruption, hunger and immigration. Lahey shared this understanding and even expanded this with added emphasis to the Irish ties with the regular participation in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade to show further support.

Nowadays, it seems we are going backward rather than forward. In my opinion, I feel that the university’s presence in the parade used to be a pride for most Quinnipiac students and its alumni as they see their university on TV. It seems now the university has truly taken the U (the students and community) and made it all about the Q. Instead of educating you about the importance of the lessons and principles that Lender and Lahey had intended with the connection, it is being taken away.

In regards to WQUN serving Quinnipiac, the radio station appears to be a bridge between the university, its local community and businesses. One of the ways WQUN has demonstrated its value to the community could be shown with its recent award given to the station in 2018 by The Cheshire Chamber of Commerce with its show “Lunch with Landry.” The award detailed that this honor is given to people or services “exhibiting a firm commitment to and support of the Chamber through involvement in Chamber functions,” according to the Cheshire Chamber of Commerce.

WQUN also seems to have made an impact on the community. This is shown through a petition recently made online on Care2 Petitions, by a Hamden resident who made herself known online, solely as Holly M, has received 854 supporters since the petition started on Jan. 17demanding to “Save WQUN AM1220 Radio” which is also the title of the petition. Signatures include the first selectman of North Haven Michael Freda and Mayor of Hamden Curt Leng. “[WQUN] is an incredible community resource, the Public Safety centerpiece,” Leng said in the online petition. “I’m hopeful that the university rethinks this short-sighted decision.”

Furthermore, Emma Spagnuolo, general manager of the student-run radio station WQAQ, spoke at volume to me during an interview regarding how valuable she feels WQUN is, not only for the community but also for its students who plan on breaking into the radio industry either during college or after college.

“In my freshman year they [WQAQ] had a lot of open time slots and were super flexible with giving people time on air,” Spagnuolo said. “Now it’s pretty much full and it’s difficult to fit everyone in.”

This year, there are currently 170 students involved with WQAQ, according to Spagnuolo, spreading across 60 different radio shows. Spagnuolo, also shared her personal experience with a community radio show she works for when she’s home.

“They have such a loyal listener base like WQUN,” Spagnuolo said. “It’s just so sad that Quinnipiac has proposed the closing of WQUN.” I think that Quinnipiac needs to keep its Irish ties as well as WQUN because of their importance to the Quinnipiac community.

8|Arts & Life

The Quinnipiac Chronicle

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Arts & Life

QUCHRONICLE.COM/ARTS-AND-LIFE ARTSLIFE@QUCHRONICLE.COM @QUCHRONARTSLIFE

The power of art

The life and passion of graphic design professor Laurie Grace

By JASON SCHOELLKOPF Staff Writer

Money, appearance, popularity, knowledge, selfindulgence and even fear—these are some of the values that guide people through their lives. Many people survive and find a form of success with even the most superficial of values. But according to graphic design professor Laurie Grace, passion and fun must guide our lives to make them worth living.

Grace, from Moorestown, New Jersey, is an assistant professor of graphic and interactive design at Quinnipiac University. She created art and graphic design throughout her life, for both her career and simply for fun. Although her professional work includes art on a wide variety of subjects, she is known for her art of animals. This passion isn’t something that materialized over time—she discovered it in kindergarten and it never left her.

“In kindergarten, I was in my class and we had to draw a bird,” Grace said. “I did this bird and it was amazing.

I couldn’t believe how good it was. From then, I knew I wanted to do artwork with animals. That was exactly what I wanted to do and it’s never shifted.”

After getting her degree in graphic design at the University of Connecticut, Grace went backpacking in Europe for a year, where she stumbled upon an art studio that hired her to be an illustrator for German television shows.

When she returned to the United States, she did design and illustration work for a multitude of different companies in the New York community, including Newsweek, Forbes, Scientific American and Time Magazine.

At Scientific American, Grace made the shift from analog to digital illustration when computers started becoming mainstream. Though the software took time to learn, she ended up enjoying digital art thoroughly.

“The best part about the computer is that I could put away the art supplies that always made my house such a mess," Grace said. "Silk-screening, painting, everything. There’s all these chemicals. But then you put everything away, and everything gets neat. And then you can be really creative.”

She was one of the first to learn how to use digital illustration programs. Soon, she was teaching others how to use them. At Pratt Institute, she began teaching students

Grace has had her artwork featured in many different galleries. how to use graphic design software. From there, she became an adjunct professor at several universities, including Quinnipiac, as she continued her professional career in illustration. Eventually, she became a full-time faculty member at Quinnipiac.

On the side of illustration, design and teaching, Grace has had her artwork shown in many galleries. Her art consists largely of animal paintings, drawings and mixed-media art.

Grace has always felt a deep connection with animals, and she creates art to express her love for animals while also trying to send an important message to society.

"Art has the potential to tell us who we can be. I don’t think people understand how powerful it is.”

– Laurie Grace

GRAPHIC AND INTERACTIVE DESIGN PROFESSOR

“It’s the idea of becoming the other,” Grace said. “If you can become the other you have an understanding of empathy.

That’s what my art is about. I wish people would realize that animals aren’t that different from us. They suffer. They feel joy. If you’re gonna eat an animal, make sure it has a good life and its death is pain-free. I don’t want to be in pain when I die and I think the same should be for animals.”

Even as a child, Grace had a protective stance on animals. Her mother trained at the University of WisconsinMadison under Harry Harlow, an American psychologist known for his controversial experiments studying the effects of maternal separation.

“He did experiments on monkeys, taking babies away from their mothers to study nurture and the foundation of emotional growth,” Grace said. “It was a horrible approach to study a subject, in my opinion. But my mother, as well as many publications, applauded his research. This is an example of how people didn’t think about the consequences PHOTO COURTESY OF LAURIE GRACE

Grace knew she wanted to create artwork with animals since she was in kindergarden.

MORGAN TENCZA/CHRONICLE

on another being—in this case, baby monkeys. They all ‘ate what was on their plate’ and normalized cruelty without question.”

Grace uses the phrase, “Don’t eat what’s on your plate,” to encourage students to look more deeply into things to try to understand them. She uses the phrase metaphorically to cultivate critical thinking in her students to make them wellequipped to navigate the world and try to make it a better place.

“My main goal, aside from teaching the material, is to make them think,” Grace said. “Don’t just eat what’s on your plate—question it. We sort of listen blindly. For instance, it makes me crazy when people buy food because they heard that it’s really good from an advertisement. But the advertisement doesn’t say all these animals had to die to make sure you don’t have a lawsuit.”

In addition to making her students better critical thinkers, she cares about making them confident too.

“What I want them to do when they leave my classroom is be confident,” Grace said. “If you’re confident, you can solve problems and you can go onward and do better things, instead of being shut down and thinking you can’t do something. It’s like me with that bird. The teacher made me feel like I did the best thing in the world and I walked away thinking that was what I wanted to do with my life. I came across the drawing recently, and it doesn’t even look like a bird,” she said, laughing. “But it made me confident. That’s what it took.”

Between teaching at Quinnipiac, making and exhibiting her art and doing agility training with her dogs, Grace is very busy. But, the tiredness she experiences is a small price to pay for getting to do what she loves.

“I’m lucky," Grace said. "I really am. Because what’s the point of all this if you’re not having fun? You gotta have fun,” Grace tries to make the world a better place with her art and her teaching, and she hopes that her students will do the same. She believes that art—especially art that is beautiful or humorous—has the power to inspire change in the mindsets of society.

“After I got my MFA, someone walked up to me and said, ‘I have such a new respect for animals because of all the presentations and the paintings you did. I understand life from their perspective so much better now,’" Grace said.

"Art has the potential to tell us who we can be. I don’t think people understand how powerful it is.”

The Quinnipiac Chronicle

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Arts & Life|9

ALBUM REVIEW

‘Head Above Water’ drowns expectations Avril Lavigne’s new album is more filler than fun

By TIM POWERS Staff Writer

Avril Lavigne released her comeback album after years of silence on the musical front. Her last released body of work was 2013’s self-titled, “Avril Lavigne.” Her sixth studio effort is titled “Head Above Water,” and was released on Feb. 15.

Other than an insane social media theory that Lavigne actually died after the release of her first album back in 2002, was replaced by a lookalike named Melissa and got married, and later divorced, to Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger, Lavigne has mainly spent the last few years on the down low. This is mainly because of her suffering from Lyme disease, which she said impacted her making the new album.

Lavigne’s career has been defined as being a part of the early 2000s rise of punk-rock, with songs as famous and iconic as “Complicated” and “Sk8ter Boi.” Unfortunately, that genre of music has since seen a decline in output from artists and attention from record labels and radio stations.

Lavigne hasn’t had a true hit since 2007’s number-one “Girlfriend,” from her third studio album “The Best Damn Thing.” Her last two albums, released in 2011 and 2013 respectively, saw a stark decline in sales and quality. So, how does Lavigne continue on creating new music that sticks to her brand while also remaining relevant? “Head Above Water,” sets out to answer that question.

The album’s title track and lead single, “Head Above Water,” was released back in September 2018. The song is a sonically pleasing tune. It’s your typical piano ballad that increases its string-count as the song carries near the end. It is a generic track in regard to the lyrics that only get down to a surface level examination of her feelings. The song’s highlight is Lavigne’s powerful vocals that shows the immediacy and urgency she is feeling.

One of the best tracks from the album is the second song

that Lavigne released back in December titled, “Tell Me It’s Over.” The song is an album highlight and should have been the lead single from the work. It has a great production that is catchy and uplifting. The song's vocal performance is one of her best. This is definitely a shining song for Lavigne’s repertoire.

A few tracks later is another significant song. “Dumb Blonde” featuring Nicki Minaj is a fun, rowdy anthem. It reminds me of Lavigne’s earlier work, in particular, “Sk8ter Boi,” due to its charismatic, playful vibe. The verses by Minaj provide a fun, almost relevant look into the music of 2018. It feels as if Lavigne just threw Minaj on the album to gain a bigger audience and feel a connection to today’s musical landscape. The song does not fit with the rest of the album sonically.

From there, the album tends to go even further downhill; the production is very generic. There is a lot of filler on the album and none of the songs truly stand out from one another in a positive way. They mesh together and, at times, it was hard to get through to the last track. The album’s production sounds like a relic from the early 2010s in the vein of Christina Perri’s “A Thousand Years” from the “Twilight: Breaking Dawn” soundtrack. In addition, many of the songs feel as if they don’t add any significance or of substance to the album’s progression. The first half of the album makes more of an impact than the second half of the album. The album’s lyrics also feel insubstantial and never get too deep. They remain on a surface level examination throughout the album.

“Head Above Water” is probably Lavigne’s best album in years, but that isn’t saying much. It surpasses her last couple of musical efforts but never reaches the heights of her earlier work. The album isn’t bad per se, it’s just mediocre. It’s not career-defining but it’s also not career ending. Lavigne

PHOTO FROM BMG RECORDS

'Head Above Water' received a 6.6 out of 10 on Pitchfork.

has had better moments in her career and, while here are a few bright spots on the album, the negative aspects certainty outweigh them.

RATING

Running into trouble Rapper 21 Savage faces deportation by ICE

By KRISTEN ALTMEYER Staff Writer

Fans were shocked earlier this month when news broke of 21 Savage’s arrest by ICE broke. The 26-year-old rapper claimed he was from Atlanta, Georgia, where many other successful rappers are bred. However, it was revealed on Feb. 3 that 21 Savage is actually from the United Kingdom and his real name is She’yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested the rapper for being “an unlawfully present United Kingdom citizen.” , 21 Savage was released on $100,000 bond after nine days of detainment. The rapper broke his silence about the ordeal to ABC News on Friday and said he was driving the morning of the 2019 Superbowl when he was pulled over, according to E! News.

“I was just driving and I see guns and blue lights,” 21 Savage said. “And then I was in the back of a car and I was gone.”

When ABC News reporter, Linsey Davis, asked 21 Savage if police told him he was under arrest, he explained how vague the interaction was.

“They just said ‘We got Savage.’”

21 Savage felt as though he was targeted by ICE according to The Grapevine. Five days prior, 21 Savage performed on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

“Been through some things, but I couldn’t imagine my kids stuck at the border,” he rapped.

The rapper and his legal team believe this performance directly sparked the arrest, according to The Grapevine. 21 Savage’s attorney, Alex Spiro, also spoke with ABC News.

“Part of the reason is because he’s both a celebrity and they can use this as a way to send a message and also, perhaps, because of his music,” said Spiro on Friday.

The next step for 21 Savage is to obtain his U.S. citizenship if he does not want to face deportation.

PHOTO FROM EPIC RECORDS

21 Savage was arrested on Feb. 3 by U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The legal trouble has not stopped there. On Saturday, 21 Savage turned himself in for felony theft by deception warrant. The charge was from a 2016 concert appearance that 21 Savage never showed up for, according to TMZ. The promoter paid $17,000 to 21 Savage in which was never returned. An arrest warrant was then filed to obtain the money back.

Many people feel as though 21 Savage has gained so much attention while ordinary people are facing the same

issues every day.

“It could be anybody — your classmate, your teacher, your girlfriend,” Daniela Gaona, a student from John Hopkins University whose mother was deported earlier this year, said to Complex. “You truly never know who [these laws are] affecting.”

Nelson Pinos, a New Haven man, is one of those people.

The Ecuador native has been in the U.S. for over 26 years.

Pinos had a court case for his citizenship years ago. His lawyers claim he did not know about it, therefore he did not show up. The court has refused to re-open his case as he missed the first. The verdict for Pinos is uncertain.

While he awaits the appeals, his legal team has put forward, Pinos has taken sanctuary in First and Summerfield Methodist church for over a year. ICE considers churches, schools and hospitals sensitive sights. ICE officials typically do not enter and obtain an individual in them.

“That is just kind of a loose policy,” said Reverand Vicki Flippin. “It’s not a law. I think at any point ICE could come into a church and legally walk in. Just depending on their hierarchy and what the bureaucracy says that day.”

Pinos has not left the walls of the church since he entered them. He has two teenage daughters and a young son who visit him daily.

As the case with many others, Pinos has a clean record and is an active member in the community.

“He’s an irreplaceable member of our community here in New Haven,” said Reverand Flippin. “I don’t know, If you were trying to pick who was gonna join your country and live in your nation and live in your neighborhood, it would be someone like Nelson. It doesn’t make any sense to me that our government is trying to take him away from his community and his family.”

The Quinnipiac Chronicle

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The and of the 2019 Grammy Awards The 61st Grammy Awards was full of controversy and firsts

By JESSICA SIMMS

Associate Arts & Life Editor

The big night celebrating professional music, known as the Recording Academy Grammy Awards, happened on Feb. 10 and caused an uproar of controversy regarding nominees and a lack of popular performers.

Amongst the controversy, the 61st Grammy Awards was a turning point when it came down to women being recognized for their work within the music industry.

Alicia Keys hosted this year’s Grammy Awards and was the first female host since Queen Latifah in 2005. While hosting, Keys showed off her own musical talents and featured in different songs throughout the ceremony. Keys also made it her mission to emphasize the theme of the Grammys, which was to come together and share the love of music.

Last year’s Grammy Awards brought about its own type of controversy with the winners of each category. With only 11 out of the 84 winners at that year’s Grammy Awards being women, the Academy received a lot of criticism through people the hashtag #GrammySoMale.

The outgoing Recording Academy president and CEO, Neil Portnow, escalated the issue and said that women need to “step up” if they want to be recognized and represented more at the awards ceremony.

This year, however, that changed with the ceremony was hosted by a female artist and women winning categories such as “Best Rap Album,” “Best New Artist” and “Album of the Year.”

Dua Lipa, the winner of “Best New Artist,” referenced the whole discussion about how there was a lack of women winners at the last Grammy Awards. She said, “I guess we’ve really stepped up.”

Women continued to dominate the ceremony when Keys invited music prodigies Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga and Jada Pinkett Smith to stage. She then asked the former

first lady, Michelle Obama, to come up as well. While on stage, each woman gave a short monologue about how music has impacted them. Gaga, for example, said some if her lines were cut from her latest film, “A Star is Born.”

“They said I was weird,” Gaga said.

“That my look, my choices, my sound, that it wouldn’t work. But music told me not to listen to them.”

Even with the breakthrough of women gaining more recognition at the Grammy Awards, hip-hop artists continue to have complicated relationships with the Recording Academy. Both Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar had the most nominations (eight and seven). However, they did not win in major categories.

Lamar went home with some trophies that were rap-specific, but Jay-Z did not win anything at this year’s Grammy Awards. He then expressed his upset with the Academy in his LP with Beyoncé, “Everything is Love,” by saying, “Tell the Grammy’s fuck that 0 for 8 shit.”

Both Jay-Z and Lamar actually did not attend the Grammy Awards, along with many other big names in the industry including Childish Gambino, Ed Sheeran, Rihanna and Kanye West. Even Ariana Grande did not come after a dispute with the producers about not allowing her to sing her hit, “7 Rings.”

The producers did agree to let Grande perform “7 Rings” as a part of a medley of some of her other songs. But Grande got upset after the producer of the Grammy Awards, Ken Ehrlich, said in an interview that he did not believe Grande could put a performance together in such a short amount of time.

“I’ve kept my mouth shut but now you’re lying about me,” Grande said on Twitter. “I can pull together a performance over night and you know that, Ken. It was when my creativity and self expression was stifled by you that PHOTO FROM RECORDING ACADEMY PRESS

Jennifer Lopez and Lady Gaga were called up on stage by Alicia Keys.

PHOTO FROM RECORDING ACADEMY PRESS

Kacey Musgraves won four awards at the 61st Grammy Awards.

I decided not to attend. I hope the show is exactly what you want it to be and more.”

Despite the fact that some big-name artists did not attend this awards ceremony, the event continued and gave tribute veteran musicians.

Dolly Parton alongside Maren Morris, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus and other artists paid tribute to her musical achievements and charity work as the MusiCares Person of the Year.

Another notable tribute performance from the Grammy Awards was recognizing the music recording company, Motown.

Lopez was the leader of this tribute and performed alongside Smokey Robinson, singing classic rhythm and blues songs including “My Girl,” “Please Mr. Postman” and “Do You Love Me.” However, one tribute caused a lot of uproar when Mac Miller artist did not win “Best Rap Album.” Miller’s album, “Swimming,” was nominated and Miller was added to the memoriam section of the Grammy Awards ceremony. The Academy invited Miller’s parents to attend the awards ceremony to be there to watch his memoriam.

However, when Cardi B won the “Best Rap Album” award, viewers, including Grande, were upset.

Grande went to Twitter and said “trash” when Miller did not win. After tweeting about Miller not winning, she clarified that she was not mad at Cardi B, but was mad at

the Academy for inviting Miller’s parents to watch him not even win the Award. The rest of her tweets discussing this were deleted.

After winning, Cardi B went to Instagram to thank many people for her award, including Miller.

“I read an article that Mac Miller’s family said that if he don’t win, they want me to win so I’m sharing this Grammy with you mother fucker,” Cardi B said in an Instagram video. “Rest in peace.”

However, one of the most memorable moments of the night was when Childish Gambino won “Record of the Year” for his hit “This is America.” While this is a huge moment for the artist on its own, his win marked the first time a hip-hop song won this award.

Gambino was not at the Grammy Awards, so producer Ludwig Göransson dedicated the award to Gambino and also mentioned the featured artists in the song including Slim Jxmmi, Young Thug, 21 Savage and BlocBoy JB. “It calls out injustice, celebrates life and unites us all at the same time,” Göransson said.

Gambino’s “This is America” also allowed Gambino to be the first hip-hop artist to win “Song of the Year.”

With this iconic win and many others, the 2019 Grammy Awards was full of surprises, but also snubs due to the many controversies that arose.

Fe b r u a r y 2 0 , 2 0 1 9

The Quinnipiac Chronicle

Arts & Life| 11

Living and Learning WISH hosts annual reading of 'The Vagina Monologues'

By ADRIANNA LOVEGROVE Staff Writer

V. A. G. I. N. A. Woah.

You felt weird reading that and I felt weird writing it. I'm actually avoiding all eye contact after even typing that word.

The vagina has always been an enigma shrouded in mystery since the beginning of time. What does it do? Why does it look like that? Does yours do that? Should it smell like that? Why. Is. It. So. Far. Back?

So many questions. So little answers.

Welcoming the audience into Buckman Theater, Women in Support of Humanity (WISH) put on its annual performance of "The Vagina Monologues” in collaboration with the V-Day campaign.

“We do it every year,” Mikaela Rooney, president of WISH said. “It’s a tradition to hold it the week before Valentine’s Day to raise awareness about violence against women, domestic violence and all that sort of stuff. So there’s a campaign started 'V-Day' and any money that we raise, we donate to a V-Day approved campaign.”

The Vagina Monologues is a piece written by Eve Ensler and threads together the stories of numerous women and

their encounters with their body parts. The monologues included tales told by a vagina workshop attendee, a mother who watched her daughter give birth and it even featured the voice of a six-year-old girl.

Hearing the stories unites the population of girls and women alike as we all struggle to truly understand the intricacies of the vagina. While the script is filled with witty lines and outrageous claims, such as the speech about reclaiming an otherwise demeaning term for vagina, it is clouded with the unfortunate reality that many women don’t know much about their vaginas.

Shaylah Zorn, a senior psychology major, attended the event after hearing about it from a friend.

“I wanted to come because I think we don’t talk enough about women and their vaginas,” Zorn said. “There’s no conversation for a vagina.I feel like it’s necessary to share these types of stories because it’s eye-opening; things you might not experience yourself. I just think it’s important for women to be able to talk to other women about something they all have.”

Hearing the stories of these anonymous women left an uncomfortable ambiance in the theater as we all shared awkward glances with parents and stifled giggles to other girls. That embarrassing tension was quickly followed by

the question of “why?” Why is it still taboo to talk about vaginas? Especially when drawing a penis is still considered pure comedy gold. Try drawing a vulva on a car windshield and see how many people think you’re funny.

“Women don't talk about their bodies a lot,” Hannah Ellis, a senior political science major, said. “Especially with each other and certainly not in public settings.”

As the performance started, the four girls reading the monologues that night stood up and began citing all of the separate words for vagina. "Pussycat." "Pookie." "Twat."

"Coochie." "Powderbox." The list goes on.

The word elicits an uncomfortable feeling in most people, myself included. We call it by a different name and whisper when we talk about it. Sometimes, it’s just easier to not talk about it at all and to direct any questions over to Google.

"The Vagina Monologues” opens a dialogue that encourages body positivity in girls and women. With stories like “Because He Liked To Look At It” and “The Vagina Workshop,” it promotes self discovery in a culture that shames girls for being too sexual and even too confident.

Ensler herself said, “One of the most radical things women can do is to love their body.”

'For the First Time in Forever ' Elsa and Anna are returning to the big screen for ‘Frozen 2’

By ALEXIS GUERRA Arts & Life Editor

Walt Disney Pictures and Walt Disney Animation Studios have released the first official ‘Frozen 2’ trailer, giving fans a glimpse of what’s to come for Disney’s very own ice queen.

The film is expected to be released on Nov. 22.

The first look at the sequel was released six years after the original film, on the studio's official YouTube page and has already received over 25 million views.

The trailer featured Elsa (Idina Menzel) braving darker elements as she uses her ice powers to conquer a massive body of water. She’s proven to be unsuccessful after repeatedly being knocked back to shore by the waves.

Viewers also catch a glimpse of her sister Anna (Kristen Bell), Olaf (Josh Gad) and Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) riding on the back of his loyal reindeer, Sven. Elsa and Anna have also undergone a wardrobe change, now ditching the dresses and wearing clothes better suited for an adventure.

The teaser trailer hinted at the new film encompassing a more serious tone than its antecedent. There’s also no dialogue throughout the trailer which raises more questions than answers. The lack of plot in the teaser follows the trend of Disney’s other trailers that have been released recently, such as “Aladdin” and “Dumbo.”

Besides the original cast featured in the teaser trailer, there are two new characters shown in the trailer. They are voiced by Sterling K. Brown from the show “This Is Us” and Evan Rachel Wood from “Westworld.”

Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee have also returned to direct “Frozen 2.” Since the original film, Lee has taken over as Chief Creative Officer at Walt Disney Animation Studios.

Peter Del Vecho is also returning as a producer.

“There’s a new energy of us just being fearless,” Lee told Variety. “What we’re really investing in now is what is the future generation of filmmakers. We’re taking our seasoned directors and they’re mentoring. There’s an energy of bringing new voices in and creating films that just push us to the next place. The doors are open for everyone to really participate.”

The highly-anticipated film will also include new songs from award-winning songwriters Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, one of which is anticipated to compete with the first film’s ballad “Let it Go.”

Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell are returning to the cast.

“We have a new song that I think is an evolution,” Lee said to Variety. “It’s its own song. Bobby [Lopez] and Kirsten [Anderson-Lopez] just delivered it three weeks ago.

We’ve been working with them for two years and this song just came in and I loved it.”

The sequel to Elsa’s adventures in “Frozen” was announced in March 2015, almost two years after the original film made over $1.2 billion at the box office. “Frozen” also became the highest-grossing animated movie of all time and won two Oscars after its release. The original movie also inspired a Broadway musical by the same name that was nominated for three Tony awards.

In the years after the original film’s release, Disney has put out a single five-minute “Frozen Fever” short that premiered with “Cinderella.” Disney also produced a 22-minute “Olaf’s Frozen Christmas” special that was

PHOTO FROM TWDS PRESS KIT

shown before the movie “Coco” in theaters.

Despite the hype, this isn’t the first time that the sequel has been talked about. The reunited cast from “Frozen” has been teasing to “Frozen 2” since January by posting photos from behind the scenes on both Instagram and Twitter. In particular, Gad tagged Sven the reindeer as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in his Instagram post, sparking theories of Johnson’s participation in the film. It’s safe to assume that the cast is also excitedly anticipating the film’s release.

“The story is great and they exude quality,” Bell said in an interview with Fandango. “It took them a while because they wanted to figure out what story they needed to tell and what would be important and engaging–and I think they found it.”

The plot is still under wraps but viewers can rest assured knowing that their favorite sister duo will be embarking on an exciting adventure away from Arendelle.

The Quinnipiac Chronicle

12|Sports

Fe b r u a r y 2 0 , 2 0 1 9 DESIGN BY JANNA MARNELL RECORDED BY BRYAN MURPHY

Spring Preseason Rankings MEN’S BASEBALL

SOFTBALL

WOMEN’S

LACROSSE

LACROSSE

Preseason rank: 4th out of 11 teams

Preseason rank: T-7th out of 11 teams

Preseason rank: 3rd out 8 teams

Preseason rank: 8th of 9 teams

2018 MAAC record: 16-8

2018 MAAC record: 9-11

2018 MAAC record: 6-0

2018 MAAC record: 1-7

2018 result: Lost in the MAAC semifinals

2018 result: Did not make playoffs

2018 result: Lost in the MAAC semifinals

2018 result: Did not make playoffs

MEN’S

WOMEN’S

TENNIS

ACROBATICS & TUMBLING

TENNIS

Preseason Rank: 2nd out of 7 teams

Preseason Rank: 1st out of 7 teams

Preseason rank: 3rd out of 26 teams

2018 MAAC record: 6-1

2018 MAAC record: 7-0

2018 NCATA record: 7-3

2018 result: Lost in the MAAC semifinals

2018 result: Won MAAC Championship

2018 result: Lost in NCATA finals

School of Communications Career Fair

We all have something we want to see changed.

Utilize your resources and write an opinion.

Wednesday, February 27th 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. • CCE Rotunda Network with representatives from 20+ companies, who are looking to hire you.

Free LinkedIn headshots available.

FOR A LIST OF EMPLOYERS VISIT

QUCOMCON.COM

Come to our meetings on Tuesdays in SB 123 at 9:15 p.m.

Fe b r u a r y 2 0 , 2 0 1 9

The Quinnipiac Chronicle

Sports|13

Quinnipiac acrobatics and tumbling drop season opener The Bobcats start off the spring 0-1 after losing to Oregon on Sunday

By SEAN RAGGIO

Sports Multimedia Coordinator

The Quinnipiac acrobatics and tumbling team lost its season opener on Sunday to Oregon in an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) showdown by a score of 268.605-264.775.

The meet was preceded by a moment of silence for Lauren Jones, a former Oregon Duck, who passed away in 2015 after there was an outbreak of meningococcal disease on campus. This would have been her senior season with the Ducks.

“I think it’s really important,” Quinnipiac junior top Melanie Mancini said. “I think it’s important to honor her and her memory as someone who was on a team and a part of this league and this sport.”

The Bobcats (0-1) looked to build on their first win in program history against the Ducks (2-0) and got off to a good start, winning the compulsory event 38.75-38.55.

However, after that they didn’t win an event until the team event, where they beat the Ducks 90.05-89.63.

After an acro event saw the Bobcats lose by 2.65 points, they kept the next two events close, including a tie in the toss event. They lost the tumbling event by 1.6 points before winning team.

“Good beginning, right where I want them to be,” Quinnipiac head coach Mary Ann Powers said. “One disappointing round, but not by them. I think that we just had to settle down a little bit. I don’t know if it was adrenaline going a little bit haywire. After

they got that out, what it showed me was they’re very mentally tough because I think some people would’ve folded, they decided to keep on going.”

Mancini looked like she never left the mat as she was one of Quinnipiac’s top performers on the day. She scored a 9.525 in the tumbling open pass before teaming up with sophomore top/base Cassidy Osher to score a 9.200 in the duo pass, which they won.

“Melanie Mancini is a rock star,” senior base and co-captain Allie Williams said.

“Every single time I watch her, she impresses me more. She is a great athlete, she does everything; she tumbles, she tops, she does it all. Not like anything was different today, she did amazing like she does at every meet so I’m really proud of her.”

Mancini is being looked at to fill the shoes of former co-captain and top Abby Ziser, who graduated with the class of 2018.

Mancini, like Ziser, was named to the 2018 ECAC all-conference team.

“If Melanie Mancini is not an all American, or player of the week…,” Powers said.

“That kid carries more scores, she is so tenacious. She attacks things and I love that about her. She’s great.”

The Bobcats look ahead to another tough task; they travel down to Waco, Texas on Sunday, Feb. 24 to take on the Baylor Bears for a rematch of last year’s National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association (NCATA) finals.

The Bobcats haven’t beaten the Bears since the team was known as the women’s

MORGAN TENCZA/CHRONICLE

The Quinnipiac acrobatics and tumbling team couldn’t repeat last year’s upset of Oregon, when it defeated Oregon for the first time in program history. gymnastics team back during the 2013-14 season. Since that win, they’re 0-6 including a loss in the NCATA semifinals and the NCATA finals.

FINAL OREGON 268.605 QUINNIPIAC 264.775

Dunleavy: ‘I’m not surprised that [Young] could get that many points’ POINT from Page 16 games to play in the regular season. Young’s scoring has only increased by four points per game compared to last season, but the way he’s getting those points is what’s important.

“I’m not surprised that he could get that many points, the part that did amaze me was he did it on such few shots,” Dunleavy said of Young’s performance. “His efficiency was off the charts. He’s one of the most high-volume used guys in our league. A lot of times when you’re that guy you end up taking bad shots because you have to. With him, he’s got high efficiency and high usage, which is really rare.”

Last season, Young got his numbers in an inefficient way, which hindered the Bobcats’ long-term potential. He shot just 42.2 percent from the field and 30.3 percent from deep.

Good numbers considering he was averaging 18.8 points per game, but not nearly as efficient as you need your best player to be if you hope to win a MAAC championship.

“The offseason I put a lot of work in, mostly working on my 3-point percentage,” Young said of how he tried to increase his efficiency this season. “Definitely my shot selection (has made me more efficient). Last year I was new to (being the leading scorer), so I took whatever shots I felt like I could make. I felt like I could make all the shots, but this year I’m able to pick my spots and shoot more effectively.”

As of Feb. 18, Young is now averaging 22.8 points per game (PPG) while shooting 48.1 percent from the field and 43.1 percent from 3-point range. In my opinion, he’s running away with the MAAC Player of the Year award. The next closest scorers in the conference are Iona’s E.J. Crawford at 17.6 PPG and Saint Peters’ Davauhnte Turner at 16.6 PPG. It’s not even close.

MORGAN TENCZA/CHRONICLE

Quinnipiac graduate guard Cam Young has scored double-digit points in every game, but one so far this year.

“I would think (scoring 55) would help (my MAAC Player of the Year candidacy) a lot,” Young said. “I think it means a lot that we won the game. We probably wouldn’t be here if we lost the game – 55 in a loss isn’t as good as 55 in a win. Winning the game and scoring that should help me a lot.”

If Quinnipiac can stay near the top of the standings, Young has a chance to be a unanimous choice for the award. As mentioned before, Quinnipiac (9-5) is tied with Canisius at the top of the MAAC standings. The problem is that two games separate first place from Manhattan (7-7) in eighth. The smallest slip-up over the final four games of the season could send the Bobcats tumbling down the standings.

“I think to win a regular season championship in our conference is something that we

would take great pride in, but it’s not something we talk about,” Dunleavy said. “We spend all of our time talking about the next game. If we do a really good job preparing for the next game, that’s how you win a conference championship.

We would love the opportunity.”

At the top of the standings, the Bobcats still aren’t satisfied with where they’re at.

“A lot of coaches in our league are probably saying ‘We haven’t been consistent,’” Dunleavy said. “There’s a logjam (of teams) between seven, eight and nine wins right now, and there’s a lot of coaches – including myself – saying that there’s one game or two games that we had in our grasps and we weren’t able to finish out. So we’re happy with where we are, but I really don’t think we’re where we need to be.”

As for Young, he’s exactly where he needs to be. This season has been different for Young – not only as a player, but as a person.

“As a person, he’s more comfortable in his shoes,” Dunleavy said of Young’s progression off the court this year. “From high school to junior college to playing for two different (Division I) college coaches, there was a lot of uncertainty in terms of ‘How do I become the best version of myself?’ I think finally he’s settled into it – he understands that he belongs.

“Even last year at times I think he was questioning if this was really what he was meant to be. I think his confidence has grown.

He’s still a quiet and unassuming guy, very introverted personality, but a great teammate.”

Young’s progression as a person off the court cannot be overlooked during this breakout campaign.

At the end of Young’s magical performance, one question to ask is simply “What’s next?” He’s scored 1,000 points, he’s broken scoring records – both Quinnipiac and NCAA – and he’s playing the most efficient brand of basketball of his life.

Truthfully, Young isn’t sure.

“To be honest, I don’t even know (what’s next). Even 1,000 points was crazy, and to do this a few weeks later is even crazier.”

At the beginning of this piece, Young and I both told you we were at a loss for words. Here we are over 1,000 words later, and I still don’t believe what just happened. Young’s 55 points at the Times Union Center will be remembered in Quinnipiac basketball history forever.

Quinnipiac men’s basketball highlights led the 5 p.m. SportsCenter on ESPN. The Bobcats are being placed in NCAA Tournament projections. Cam Young just scored 55 points in a game.

Are you kidding me?

The Quinnipiac Chronicle

14|Sports

RUNDOWN

MEN’S HOCKEY QU 1, Union 1 - Friday Wyatt Bongiovanni: 1 goal Andrew Shortridge: 27 saves QU 2, RPI 1 - Saturday Odeen Tufto: 1 goal Daniel Winslow: 1 goal WOMEN’S HOCKEY QU 4, RPI 0 - Friday Melissa Samoskevich: 2 goals Kenzie Lancaster: 2 assists QU 5, Union 0 - Saturday Taylor House: 2 goals Sarah-Eve Coutu-Godbout: 1 goal, 1 assist MEN’S BASKETBALL Marist 63, QU 61 - Friday Cam Young: 24 points, 4 rebounds QU 107, Sienna 100 - Sunday Young: 55 points, 10 rebounds WOMEN’S BASKETBALL QU 64, Manhattan College 39 Friday Aryn McClure: 12 points Paula Strautmane: 10 points QU 48, Fairfield 40 - Sunday Jen Fay: 11 points, 8 rebounds McClure: 11 points, 5 rebounds

GAMES TO WATCH MEN’S ICE HOCKEY QU vs. St. Lawrence - Friday, 7 p.m.

QU vs. Clarkson - Saturday, 7 p.m.

WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY QU at St. Lawrence - Friday, 6 p.m.

QU at Clarkson - Saturday, 3 p.m.

MEN’S BASKETBALL QU at Monmouth - Sunday, 2 p.m.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL QU at Rider University - Thursday, 6 p.m.

QU vs. Marist College - Saturday, 2 p.m.

BASEBALL QU vs. Elon - Saturday, 12 p.m.

QU vs. Wake Forest - Saturday, 4 p.m.

- Sunday, 10 a.m.

MEN’S LACROSSE QU at Vermont - Saturday, 12 p.m.

WOMEN’S LACROSSE QU vs. LIU Brooklyn - Saturday, 12 p.m.

QU at Hofstra University - Tuesday, 3 p.m.

MEN’S TENNIS QU at Army - Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

WOMEN’S TENNIS QU at UMass Amherst - Saturday, 1:30 p.m.

WOMEN’S GOLF QU at College of Charleston - Sunday, Monday, Tuesday

@QUChronSports Bryan Murphy

@Bryan_Murphy10 Logan Reardon

@LoganReardon20 Jared Penna

@JaredPenna1 Brendan O’Sullivan

@BOSullivan25 Jordan Wolff

@JordanWolff11 Peter Piekarski

@PiekarskiPeter Matthew Jaroncyk

@Mattt_j30 Peter Dewey

@PeterDewey2

Fe b r u a r y 2 0 , 2 0 1 9

GAME OF THE WEEK

Bobcats celebrate Senior Day with a 5-0 win All five seniors register a point as Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey dominants Union

By PETER PIEKARSKI Staff Writer

It was quite the emotional game for the Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey team Saturday afternoon as it routed the Union Dutchwomen 5-0 on its Senior Day at the People’s United Center.

Quinnipiac (12-6-14, 9-9-2 ECAC) put up quite the performance, firing more than 50 shots on goal and holding Union (4-262, 2-17-1 ECAC) to just 10. Quinnipiac controlled play and possession for the majority of the game and proved it on the scoreboard.

“We got back from Christmas and we talked about it and we let ourselves really start fresh and not be upset with some of the losses that we’ve had and to really dig into getting better faster than anybody else out there,” Quinnipiac head coach Cassandra Turner said. “I think people are truly beginning to understand what it’s gonna take to win.”

Sophomore forward Taylor House kicked off the scoring only 42 seconds into the game as she snapped a pass from junior forward Sarah-Eve Coutu-Godbout into the back of the net.

Quinnipiac kept the ball rolling all period as it hounded Union’s junior goalie Amelia Murray, firing puck after puck at her and crashing the net non-stop.

On her Senior Day, forward Me-

lissa Samoskevich netted her teamleading 12th goal of the season. Senior forward Kenzie Lancaster and junior defenseman Kate MacKenzie acquired assists on the goal.

“When I look at [Samoskevich] and I think about who she is today, I’m just so proud of her,” Turner said. “She’s always been so good in transition offensively, but now she’s really possessing and creating offense from low in the zone.”

During the second period, Coutu-Godbout notched her second point of the night with a wraparound attempt that had a little luck as it bounced off a Union defenseman and slid into the net.

The third period was more of the same as House beautifully redirected a shot from sophomore defenseman Olivia Konigson with freshman forward Lexie Adzija recording a secondary assist.

“The second one I just tried to get open, called for the pass from [Konigson] and she found me,” House said. “We had a lot of puck luck today and I think my line was moving. Each period, every shift just get a scoring chance.”

The final goal was a perfect end to the Quinnipiac Senior Day as three seniors tallied a point. Forward Randi Marcon finished off a passing display from defenseman Anna Kilponen and Lancaster.

“I’m just so proud of each and

EMILY THOMPSON/CHRONICLE

Senior forward Melissa Samoskevich capped off her Senior Day with her 12th goal on the year. every one of them,” Turner said.

“They really are truly becoming the best versions of themselves and the best hockey players that they can be.”

Quinnipiac’s final shift of the game was one the seniors will never forget, as they collectively took one last regular season in-game skate on home ice. Once the buzzer sounded they huddled together one last time before joining the rest of their teammates.

“When you think about how you want your seniors to feel in their final weekend at Quinnipiac, I don’t think there was any better

effort by our entire team to show them just how much they care about them,” Turner said. “We’re proud of them, we’re really excited about how we’re playing.”

Quinnipiac looks to continue its playoff push this upcoming weekend with games on Friday against St. Lawrence and Clarkson on Saturday.

FINAL UNION QUINNIPIAC

0 5

Priskie: ‘We just got to...find out what’s going to work for us’ LAW from Page 16 ing in for Fortunato. He has a different role to play now for the top unit.

“I’m definitely not taking over his spot, obviously he was our hottest player and definitely a big loss for us,” de Jong said. “He’s unbelievable on the power play, his patience and poise. But basically what I’m supposed to do is just get the puck to the net. If Tufto gives it to me, I’m shooting. Or I’m creating a diversion for him to give it across to Priskie.”

With that being said, it’s a bit ironic how the game-winning goal came to be on Saturday. Instead of Tufto giving to de Jong to shoot, it was the other way around. But I’d guess neither of them, or the team, really care who passes and who scores.

A goal is a goal and a win is a win.

As for how the power play unit will be for the rest of the year, it’s just going to take more reps for the unit to get used to each other, according to Priskie.

“I think it just takes time,” Priskie said. “The unit we have now we had 80 percent rollover from last year. I wouldn’t say we had a great player play [last year] but it wasn’t bad.

And it just takes time. It took nearly a year for us to start clicking, just the four of us. And then this year, we’re operating at 30 percent [power play success], which I believe is top five in the country. So it just takes time.”

The Bobcats will need to bring back that power play success if it

wants to make it to Lake Placid. Currently sitting in second with 24 points in a tight ECAC Hockey standings, Quinnipiac needs to get every point it can if it wants to get a bye in the playoffs and set themselves up well for a run in the postseason.

Quinnipiac sits a single point behind Cornell, who Quinnipiac owns the tiebreaker against if it comes down to it. In third sits Yale with 23 points and tied for fourth is Clarkson and Harvard.

Considering Quinnipiac still has

to play Yale and Clarkson each once more, there could be a lot of shuffling in the top five these final two weeks.

Quinnipiac also has matchups against St. Lawrence and Brown.

St. Lawrence is a team in the bottom of the ECAC Hockey standings.

The Bobcats handled the Saints earlier this month with a 7-2 win. However, we’ve seen Quinnipiac handle a lower opponent, then lose to them later on (i.e. Cornell).

For Brown, it’s a middle of the pack team. But it came into Hamden

and shocked Quinnipiac a night after the big Quinnipiac and Yale rivalry game, and left with two points.

So for Quinnipiac, it’s a matter of battling every single game. Priskie put it best on what needs to be done the rest of the year for Quinnipiac to come out on top.

“When our team starts to understand that every game is not guaranteed and you have to work to win every game, then we are going to be lethal,” Priskie said.

CJ YOPP/CHRONICLE

Freshman forward Ethan de Jong has replaced injured senior defenseman Brandon Fortunato on the first power play unit.

Fe b r u a r y 2 0 , 2 0 1 9

The Quinnipiac Chronicle

FLIPPING OUT

Sports|15

Clockwise from top left: The Quinnipiac acrobatics and tumbling team cheers on from the sideline in Sunday’s match; the Bobcats competes in the team event; several Bobcats roll into a cartwheel; a Bobcat top flies through the air.

MORGAN TENCZA /CHRONICLE

2 10 100

Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey goaltender Abbie Ives recorded two shutouts over the weekend, her fifth and sixth shutouts of the season.

Quinnipiac women’s lacrosse senior attack Allison Kuhn started her senior season off strong with 10 goals across the first two games of the season.

The five Quinnipiac women’s basketball seniors recorded their 100th win together on Friday against Manhattan College.

Cam Young

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

BY THE NUMBERS

MORGAN TENCZA/CHRONICLE

Quinnipiac men’s basketball graduate student guard Cam Young set a new MAAC scoring record with 55 points and scored the third-most points by a DI player in the last 20 years in a triple overtime win against Siena on Sunday.

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Runnin’ the Point: Are you kidding me?

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Cam Young adds to his immaculate year with a 55-point performance on Sunday

By LOGAN REARDON Web Director

“I’ve been at a loss for words. I can’t believe that even happened.”

Same.

What else is there left to say?

Quinnipiac graduate student guard Cam Young has left me, the college basketball world and apparently even himself, speechless.

His story is well-documented. From two years of junior college to playing eight minutes total during his first year at Quinnipiac.

Then getting a fresh start under head coach Baker Dunleavy and making the All-MAAC First-Team during his senior year.

But this year is different.

Young scored his 1,000th point in a home win over Saint Peter’s on Jan. 27, and he had been Quinnipiac’s leading scorer in each of the last 15 games heading into Sunday, Feb. 17. On Feb. 17, he wasn’t just Quinnipiac’s leading scorer, though. He was everyone’s leading scorer.

In Sunday’s win over Siena, Young erupted for 55 points on an uber-efficient 15-for24 shooting, including 9-for-13 from 3-point range and 16-of-20 from the free throw line.

Oh yeah, Quinnipiac also won the game, 107100, in triple overtime to move into a tie for first place in the MAAC at 9-5.

Siena freshman guard Jalen Pickett add-

ed 46 points and 13 assists in the game as well, not that either of them knew what they had accomplished.

“To be honest, they didn’t have the stats up on the jumbotron at the game, so I honestly didn’t know how many points I had or how many he had,” Young said. “I knew we were both scoring the ball throughout the game, but until the end of the game I didn’t know any statline.”

En route to his 55 points, Young broke a number of NCAA records. His 55 points are the most by a Division I player this season and the third-most this century, behind only Eddie House (61, 2000) and Ben Woodside (60, 2008). He also broke the Quinnipiac program record for points in a game – becoming the

first Bobcat to put up 50 in a game – and hit the most 3-pointers in a game for Quinnipiac.

The MAAC single-game scoring record? That was also broken, topping the previous high of 46 (which Pickett matched in this game).

“It was a unique game in terms of the back-and-forth, specifically between two players,” Quinnipiac head coach Baker Dunleavy said of the battle between Young and Pickett. “I’ve never been part of anything like it. I almost felt foolish because after the game looking at the box score, I had no idea that either guy had (that many points). Both were in an incredible rhythm.”

The Bobcats are in a great place with four See POINT Page 13

MURPHY’S LAW

Trying to get the ‘power’ back in the power play

By BRYAN MURPHY Sports Editor

Going into the final minute of the third period against RPI, the No. 5 Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey team was 0-15 in its last 15 power play opportunities. It had not scored a goal on the man advantage in almost four games after being one of the most deadly units in the country.

Sophomore forward Odeen Tufto decided to break that streak at the best possible time.

Freshman forward Ethan de Jong had the puck at the right faceoff dot and instead of shooting, chose to slide it to Tufto sitting in the slot. Tufto then fired it past freshman goalie Owen Savory.

That goal broke a 1-1 tie with 34 seconds left to propel Quinnipiac to a victory and two very crucial ECAC Hockey points.

So like I said, a struggling power play showed a flash of its old ways at pretty much the most perfect time. But what now?

Quinnipiac has had a top five power play unit for most of the year, with a majority of that coming from the success of its first unit consisting of senior defensemen Chase Priskie and Brandon Fortunato, junior defenseman Brogan

Rafferty, freshman forward Wyatt Bongiovanni and Tufto. That unit alone had contributed for 24 of the team’s 32 power play goals.

However, a couple weeks ago, the news broke out. Fortunato had suffered a seasonending leg injury in practice.

“It’s a setback,” Fortunato said. “But I plan

to rehab it hard. The toughest thing so far for me has been not being able to get out there with my team as we head for the playoffs. Not being able to contribute to that will be tough.”

This created an interesting dilemma. Fortunato offered a quick, puck moving defenseman to help man the power play unit. His play along

MORGAN TENCZA/CHRONICLE

Sophomore forward Odeen Tufto has now scored two game-winning goals in the last minute of a game this season.

the blue line and his vision help create multiple goals, and a big reason as to why he is second on the team in assists with 23.

Last week, as evident during the games on Feb. 7 and 8 against Yale and Brown, Pecknold confirmed that the team would be bumping freshman forward Ethan de Jong to replace Fortunato.

However, it isn’t as easy as it may seem. Before Tufto’s power play tally late against RPI, Quinnipiac had that cold spell and a big reason was because of the absence of Fortunato. The team was 0-11 on the power play since his injury. And the players agree that the void Fortunato leaves isn’t one that can be easily filled.

“I think Brandon is a special player and I don’t think we’ll have anyone replace him because he is a special brand,” Priskie said. “But I think we get Ethan to pop in, he’s a special player. We just got to learn each other’s tendencies and find out what’s going to work for us and how were going to make plays to benefit the team.”

For de Jong, he knows that he isn’t just fillSee LAW Page 14